SERM. 12. I. xii. 43. He that is wife in his own conceit, will hug that conceit, and thence is uncapable to learn: there is, faith SoloProv. xxvi. mon, more hope of a fool than of him; and he that affecteth the praise of men, will not eafily part with it for the John v. 44. fake of truth: whence, How, faith our Lord, can ye believe, who receive glory one of another? how can ye, retaining fuch affections, be difposed to avow yourselves to have been ignorants and fools, whenas ye were reputed 1 Cor. iii. for learned and wife? how can ye endure to become novices, who did pass for doctors? how can ye allow yourselves fo blind and weak, as to have been deceived in your former judgment of things? 18. He that is conceited of his own wifdom, ftrength of parts, and improvement in knowledge, cannot fubmit his mind to notions which he cannot eafily comprehend and penetrate; he will fcorn to have his understanding baffled or puzzled by fublime mysteries of faith; he will not easily yield any thing too high for his wit to reach, or too knotty John iii. 9. for him to unloofe: How can these things be? what reafon ii. 6. John vii.26. can there be for this? I cannot fee how this can be true; this point is not intelligible: fo he treateth the dictates of faith; not confidering the feebleness and fhallowness of 1 Cor. i. 26. his own reafon: Hence not many wife men according to the flesh, (or who were conceited of their own wifdom, relying upon their natural faculties and means of know1 Cor. i. 20. ledge,) not many scribes, or difputers of this world, did embrace the Chriftian truth, it appearing abfurd and fool1 Cor. iii. ish to them; it being needful, that a man should be a fool, that he might, in this regard, become wife. i. 14. 18. ix. 11. xi. 6. iii. 21. The prime notions of Chriftianity do alfo tend to the Rom. iii. debafing human conceit, and to the exclufion of all glory27.iv.2, 16. ing in ourselves; referring all to the praise and glory of 1 Cor. i. 29. God, afcribing all to his pure mercy, bounty, and grace: Ephef. ii. 9. it reprefenteth all men heinous finners, void of all worth Tit. iii. 5. and merit, lapsed into a wretched state, altogether impotent, forlorn, and deftitute of ability to help or relieve themselves; fuch notions proud hearts cannot digeft; they cannot like to avow their infirmities, their defects, their wants, their vilenefs, and unworthinefs; their diftreffes and miferies; they cannot endure to be entirely and abfolutely SERM. beholden to favour and mercy for their happiness; fuch I. was the cafe of the Jews; who could not believe, becaufe, going about to establish their own righteousness, they Rom. x, 3. would not fubmit to the righteousness of God. Dextra mihi' Deus, every proud man would fay, with the profane Mezentius. Christianity doth also much disparage and vilify those things, for which men are apt much to prize and pride themselves; it maketh fmall account of wealth, of honour, of power, of wit, of fecular wifdom, of any human excellency or worldly advantage: it levelleth the rich and the poor, the prince and the peasant, the philofopher and idiot in spiritual regards; yea far preferreth the meanest and fimpleft perfon, endued with true piety, above the mightiest and wealthieft, who is devoid thereof: in the eye of it, The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour, whatever he be in worldly regard or ftate this a proud man cannot fupport; to be divefted of his imaginary privileges, to be thrown down from his perch of eminency, to be fet below those whom he fo much defpifeth, is infupportable to his spirit. .ix. 31. The practice of Christianity doth also expose men to the fcorn and cenfure of profane men; who for their own folace, out of envy, revenge, diabolical fpite, are apt to deride and reproach all confcientious and refolute practifers of their duty, as filly, credulous, fuperftitious, humorous, morofe, fullen folks: fo that he that will be good, must resolve to bear that usage from them; like David; I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be bafe 2 Sam. vi. in my own fight: but with thefe fufferings a proud heart 22. cannot comport; it goeth too much against the grain thereof to be contemned. Christianity doth alfo indispensably require duties, pointblank oppofite to pride; it placeth humility among its chief virtues, as a foundation of piety; it enjoineth us to think meanly of ourselves, to disclaim our own worth and defert, to have no complacency or confidence in any thing belonging to us; not to aim at high things; to wave the Rom. xii. 3, 16. 6. ༤. SERM. regard and praife of men; it exacteth from us a fenfe of our vilenefs, remorfe and contrition for our fins, with Job xlii. 3, humble confeffion of them, felf-condemnation and abhorrence; it chargeth us to bear injuries and affronts patiently, without grievous refentment, without feeking or fo much as wifhing any revenge; to undergo difgraces, Phil. ii. 3. croffes, difafters, willingly and gladly; it obligeth us to prefer others before ourselves, fitting down in the lowest 1 Pet. v. 5. room, yielding to the meaneft perfons: to all which forts of duty a proud mind hath an irreconcileable antipathy. Rom. xii. 10. Luke xiv. 10. Rom. xii. 16. Matt. vii. 14. Prov. i. 7, 30. v. 12. xiii. 13. Ifa. v. 24. 13, 16, 24. (καταφρονη Rom. ii. 4. A proud man, that is big and fwollen with haughty conceit and ftomach, cannot ftoop down fo low, cannot fhrink in himself fo much, as to enter into the firait gate, or to walk in the narrow way, which leadeth to life: he will be apt to contemn wisdom and inftruction. Shall I, will he fay, fuch a gallant as I, fo accomEzek. xx. plished in worth, fo flourishing in dignity, fo plump with Acts xiii.41. wealth, fo highly regarded and renowned among men, ταί.) thus pitifully crouch and fneak? fhall I deign to avow Luke x. 16. fuch beggarly notions, or bend to fuch homely duties? fhall I difown my perfections, or forego my advantages? fhall I profefs myself to have been a despicable worm, a villanous caitiff, a forry wretch? fhall I fuffer myself to be flouted as a timorous religionist, a fcrupulous precifian, a confcientious fneakfby? fhall I lie down at the foot of mercy, puling in forrow, whining in confeffion, bewailing my guilt, and craving pardon? fhall I allow any man better or happier than myfelf? fhall I receive thofe into confortfhip, or equality of rank with me, who appear fo much my inferiors? fhall I be mifufed and trampled on, without doing myself right, and making them fmart who fhall prefume to wrong or cross me? fhall I be content to be nobody in the world? So the proud man will fay in his heart, contefting the doctrines and duties of our religion, and fo difputing himself into infideli ther fpring of infidelity is pufillanimity, or want Molution and courage : δειλοὶ καὶ ἄπιστοι, cowards els, are well joined among thofe who are devoted to the fiery lake; for timorous men dare not believe fuch SERM. doctrines, which engage them upon undertaking difficult, I. laborious, dangerous enterprises; upon undergoing hardfhips, pains, wants, difgraces; upon encountering those mighty and fierce enemies, with whom every faithful man continually doth wage war. 21. They have not the heart to look the world in the face, when it frowneth at them, menacing perfecution and difgrace; but when affliction arifeth for the word, they are Matt. xiii. prefently fcandalized. It is faid in the Gofpel, that no John vii. man fpake freely of our Lord for fear of the Jews: as it fo 13. ix. 22. did smother the profeffion and muzzle the mouth, so it doth often stifle faith itself, and quell the heart, men fearing to harbour in their very thoughts points dangerous and discountenanced by worldly power. xix. 38.) 1 Pet. ii. 11. They have not alfo courage to adventure a combat with their own flesh, and thofe lufts, which war against Jam. iv. 1. their fouls; to fet upon correcting their temper, curbing Rom. vii. their appetites, bridling their paffions; keeping flesh and 23. blood in order; upon pulling out their right eyes, and cutting off their right hands, and crucifying their members; it daunteth them to attempt duties fo harfh and painful. They have not the refolution to withstand and repel temptations, and in so doing to wrestle with principalities Eph. vi. 12. and powers; to refift and baffle the strong one. To part (Luke xiv. with their ease, their wealth, their pleasure, their credit, 31.) their accommodations of life, is a thing, any thought whereof doth quafh all inclination in a faint and fearful heart of complying with the Christian doctrine. Heb. xii. Christianity is a warfare; living after its rules is called fighting the good fight of faith; every true Chriftian is a 1Tim. i. 18. good foldier of Jefus Chrift; the ftate of Chriftians must be 1 Tim. vi. fometimes like that of the Apoftles, who were troubled 12. on every fide; without were fightings, within were fears: great courage therefore, and undaunted refolution, are required toward the undertaking this religion, and the perfifting in it cordially. 11. Infidelity doth alfo rife from fturdinefs, fiercenefs, 2 Cor. vii. 5. I. SERM. wildness, untamed animofity of spirit; so that a man will not endure to have his will croffed, to be under any law, to be curbed from any thing which he is prone to affect. 12. Blind zeal, grounded upon prejudice, difpofing men to ftiff adherence unto that which they have once been addicted and accustomed to, is in the Scripture frequently represented as a caufe of infidelity. So the Jews being filled with zeal, contradicted the things Spoken by St. Paul; flying at his doctrine, without weighing it: fo by instinct Rom. x. 2. of zeal did St. Paul himself perfecute the Church; being Phil. iii. 6. exceedingly zealous for the traditions delivered by his fathers. Acts xiii. 45. xvii. 5. V. 17. Gal. iv. 17. κατὰ ζῆλον Gal. i. 14. 11. μαινόμενος. In fine, dinfidelity doth iffue from corruption of mind by any kind of brutish lust, any irregular paffion, any bad inclination or habit: any fuch evil difpofition of foul doth obftruct the admiffion or entertainment of that doctrine, which doth prohibit and check it; doth condemn it, and brand it with infamy; doth denounce punishment and woe 2 Tim. iii. 8. to it whence men of corrupt minds, and reprobate con1 Tim. vi. 5. cerning the faith; and men of corrupt minds, deftitute of the truth, are attributes well conjoined by St. Paul, as Tit. i. 15. commonly jumping together in practice; and to them, faith he, that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and confcience is defiled: fuch pollution is not only confequent to, and connected with, but antecedent to infidelity, blinding the mind fo as not to see the truth, and perverting the will fo as not to close with it. Faith and a good confcience are twins, born together, infeparable from each other, living and dying together; 1Pet. iii. 21. for the firft, faith is (as St. Peter telleth us) nothing else but the ftipulation of a good confcience, fully perfuaded that Christianity is true, and firmly refolving to comply 1 Tim. i. 5. with it: and, The end (or drift and purport) of the evangelical doctrine is charity out of a pure heart, and a good confcience, and faith unfeigned: whence those apoftolical 4 Οὐ ῥάδιον πονηρίᾳ συντρεφόμενον ἀναβλέψαι ταχέως πρὸς τὸ τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν δογ μάτων ὕψος, ἀλλὰ χρὴ πάντων καθαρεύειν τῶν παθῶν τὸν μέλλοντα θηρὰν τὴν ἀλη Juay. Chryf, in 1 Cor. Or. 8. |